CHAPTER XVI
BETRAYED BY A SNEEZE
"How did that beast get up here?" demanded Mr. Sparling.
"Who, Cummings?" asked Teddy innocently.
"No, no! The donkey."
"Oh! Maybe he came up through the smoke stack. If you will lookat it you may find donkey tracks on the inside of the stack."
"That will do, that will do, young man."
It was found upon investigation that January had gnawed hishalter until only a thin strand held it together, which was easyfor the donkey to break. Then he began an investigation of theboat, ending by his climbing the broad staircase and frighteningthe pilot.
Next morning the pilot house looked as though it had been througha shipwreck. The whole craft, in fact the entire fleet, waslaughing at the expense of Cummings, who now kept to himself,studiously avoiding the other people. January was tied up witha dog chain after that, and was not heard from again during anytrip of that season; that is, beyond his regular acts in thesawdust arena.
The next day Phil Forrest began his investigation in earnest.He knew that Mr. Sparling looked to him to discover who hadcaused so much trouble in the show, besides which, Phil took apersonal interest because of the attempt that had been made onthe lives of Little Dimples and himself.
Teddy suggested that he go through the pilot's belongings,expressing the firm belief that they would find the ostrich eggwere they to do so.
Phil consulted Little Dimples, that afternoon, as to her opinionof the occurrences of the past week, but the star bareback ridercould shed no light on them, beyond the fact that certain peoplewith whom Phil had had difficulties might bear watching.
"That's what I think," answered the Circus Boy. "I do not liketo accuse anyone unjustly, but I have these suspicions of theSpanish clown."
"Have you mentioned your suspicion to Mr. Sparling, Phil?"
"No."
"Do you intend to do so?"
"Not unless I find some facts to support my suspicion."
"You will get to the bottom of the mystery, I am sure," smiledthe woman.
"I am not so sure. Why do you think so?"
"Because you are one of the cleverest boys I ever knew,that's why. I should hate to have you on my track if Iwere guilty of any particular crime that you were trying torun down. I should expect to land in jail, and I think Ishould come straight to you and give myself up," added thewoman with a merry laugh.
"I wish I were all that you think I am, Dimples."
"You are. You saved my life again yesterday. I'm going topay you back, however. Someday, when you fall overboard,Little Dimples is going to jump right in and rescue you--haulyou out by the hair of your head--"
"You can't, it is cut too short."
"Then I will pull you out by an ear."
"I shall make it my business to fall in, then, at the firstopportunity," laughed Phil. "It would be worthwhile."
Dimples gave him a playful tap.
"You can turn a compliment as well as you can do a turn in thering, can't you Phil Forrest?"
Despite their narrow escape from serious accident, Phil andDimples went through their double act in the ring that day andevening with perfect confidence. Previous to going on, Phil hadhad a ring attendant go over the sawdust circle on his hands andknees, making a careful examination of it, to be sure that thering had not been tampered with.
>From that time on until the act went on, the ring was watched,though Phil did not believe the miscreant would attempt to layanother trap for him so soon. Still, he took nothingfor granted.
That night after the performance, the air being warm and balmy,the Circus Boy strolled out on the lot, sitting down on a littleknoll to think matters over. There was plenty of time, for theboat would not leave for two or three hours, and Phil wanted tobe alone.
Lights were twinkling on the lot like fireflies. There wasshouting and singing, but little of this conveyed itself to Phil,for his mind was on other things.
All at once he pricked up his ears. He caught the sound ofrunning footsteps.
"Someone is coming this way," he muttered. "I wonder whatthat means? Surely none of the circus people would come here.They would go around by the road."
The lad concealed himself behind the knoll, peering over the topof it. He resolved not to show himself until he had discoveredthe identity of the newcomers.
They proved to be two men who halted a short distance beyond him,and began to converse in guarded tones. It was so dark that Philcould scarcely distinguish their figures and their voices werepitched so low that it was impossible for him to hear what theywere saying.
"This looks queer," Phil muttered. "I wish I could hear whatthey are talking about. Perhaps they are town fellows who havebeen chased off the lot because they were in the way. At anyrate, I'm going to try to find out what they are up to.Hello, they are coming right over here."
Phil crouched down behind the knoll and listened. The men turnedslowly and came toward him. All at once one of them stumbled onthe very knoll behind which he was secreted.
The man uttered a growl.
"Come, sit down," he said to his companion.
"We better go on," answered the other.
"No hurry. We've got all the time in the world. If we miss theboat we can swim. That was a narrow escape. In a minute morewe'd had that wagon fixed so they would never have got off thelot with it."
"Hello," muttered Phil under his breath. "Something surely isgoing on here. One of the voices I have heard before, and theother I seem to recognize. I believe that first fellow belongsto the show. I am almost sure of it."
"You think the fellow suspects?"
"The tall one does. But he doesn't know whom be suspects."
"We have to take care."
"Yes."
"But we will get both before the end of the season."
"You bet we will. I have a plan that--"
"What is it?"
"It is this."
Phil had buried his head in the grass and compressed his bodyinto the smallest possible space that he might avoid discovery.He could hear the two men breathe, and he reasoned that theymight hear him as well.
"You know the big net?"
"You mean the one over which the flying four perform?"
"Yes."
"What about it?"
"It can be fixed."
"How?"
"By weakening some of the strands on each side."
"That is good, but suppose someone noticed."
"Not if it is done right. I don't mean to do it all at once.I'll doctor one or two strands every day until the net is soweakened that it won't hold."
"Yes, but how will you do this so no one will see?"
"I'll tell you. After the act is over they roll the net up andcarry it out. It is dumped just outside the pad room, where itis picked up by one of the property wagons later in the evening.It's in the same place every night."
"I think somebody may see us do it."
"No danger. Keep cool; that's all. We'll get even withthose fellows. We have got to before we can carry outthe other plans we have talked over. They are too sharp.Sooner or later they will get wise to us, and we've got toget them out of the way before we go any further. The workmust be done in a natural sort of way, so that no suspicionis aroused."
"Yes, that's so. But what about the others? You want to hurtthem, too?"
"I don't care, so long as we get the right one, how many gettheir bumps."
"That's right. But only one of them is on trapeze. What you doabout other?"
"It is the tall one that I want most. He's got to be put out ofthe running. It won't kill him, but it will lay him up in ahospital for the rest of the season, and that's enough for us."
"Yes."
"The other one will be taken care of after we get through withthe first. The small fellow is sharp, but he can't see beyondhis nose. It's easy to fool him."
"The fiends!" muttered Phil. "I
believe they are plottingagainst Teddy and me. I have a good notion to sail intothem right here and settle it. I believe I could whip thetwo of them. I--"
At that instant a blade of grass tickled Phil's nose. He raisedhis head quickly.
"What's that?" exclaimed one of the plotters.
"I heard nothing."
"You didn't? Well, I did. There's someone around here and closeby us."
"Perhaps it was a squirrel in the grass. There is no one here."
The blade of grass had done its work, however. Phil tried hardto control himself, but he knew he was going to sneeze.
All at once the sneeze came, louder than he had eversneezed before.
The men leaped to their feet in sudden alarm.